Resurrection Of The Lord
Preaching
PREACHING MATTHEW'S GOSPEL
A Narrative Approach
Resurrection is the heart and climax of Matthew's story. There are three scenes in this climactic event. 28:1-10 constitutes the first scene: the reality of an empty tomb. Verses 11-15 make up the second scene. Jewish religious leaders will not give up their opposition to Jesus. They spread rumors that the disciples have stolen the body. The final scene, vv. 16-20, brings Jesus and his disciples together again on a mountain in Galilee. There he utters his commission to take his message to all nations. "I am with you always." This reminiscence of the Emmanuel theme (1:23) indicates to us that Jesus is truly Emmanuel, God with us, a presence to us even beyond his grave.
By his death and resurrection Jesus fulfills the promise of his name (1:21) and begins to bring life and freedom to God's beleaguered people. By resurrection he is manifested as Emmanuel (1:23), the presence of God shining in the midst of the new community. He is there in the midst, as Savior and as Teacher of God's people (23:10), with creative power and with his words, establishing the community in the way of righteousness. The death and resurrection of Jesus are not only the climax of Matthew's narrative. In Matthew's mind they are the turning point of world history and are revealed as such by the quaking of the earth (27:51; 28:2).1
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. The presence of these women provides continuity with the crucifixion scene where there were many women looking on from afar (27:55-56). Matthew fills the opening page (genealogy: 1:1-16) and this closing page of his story with women! Matthew appears to have a glimpse of a new kind of community in which male and female live in equality. (Cf. Galatians 3:28.) All are one in Jesus Christ.
And then an earthquake, an angel, and a rolled-back stone. Astonishing. The guards are filled with fear.
Fear and admonitions to "fear not" dominate this story: vv. 4, 5, 8, 10. We have probably lost the sense of this emotion. Over time the story has become domesticated and tamed in our experience. In the midst of the fear stands the central proclamation of the story: "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised...."
In raising Jesus from the dead, God certifies the truth of Jesus' words and the efficacy of his trust, which is to say that God vindicates Jesus: God resolves Jesus' conflict with Israel by showing that Jesus is in the right.2
The message of the angel turns from resurrection proclamation to words of comfort to the disciples. The disciples have had a complex relationship with Jesus. Sometimes they seem to believe and understand. Other times they are clearly "little faith" disciples. During the last days of Jesus' journey the disciples' faithlessness is on full display. Jesus senses their faith condition. He tells them the time is coming very soon when they will all fall away from him (Matthew 26:31-32). Jesus quotes the prophet Zechariah: "I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." Jesus does not leave the matter there. "Scattered" will not be the end of the disciples. He will gather them again in Galilee: "...after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee" (26:32).
Jesus then asks his disciples to accompany him to the Mount of Olives and watch with him in prayer. Promptly, they fall asleep. Three times they fall asleep (Matthew 26:36-46). It is right after this sleeping-event that Judas appears on the scene. He betrays Jesus.
One of the disciples draws a sword to protect Jesus from the mob with Judas. Jesus puts a stop to the violence. Scripture must be fulfilled! (26:47-54). This seems to be the end of the line for the disciples. They flee. They desert their Shepherd. They are like scattered sheep (26:56). That's the last word we hear about the disciples prior to the Easter story. But Peter has not deserted.
He has followed at a distance as Jesus is brought to the high priest's house. Good for Peter. But when a maid recognizes Peter as one who had been with Jesus, Peter denies the whole thing (26:57-58, 69-75). Bad for Peter. Three times he denies. Three times before the cock crows, just as Jesus had said.
Truly the sheep have been scattered. They fall asleep, betray, desert, and deny. We don't hear any more about the disciples until the Easter account. How comforting, indeed, are the angel's words: "Tell the disciples that he will meet them in Galilee as he promised" (26:32). And the angel is not the only one who makes this speech. Jesus appears to the women. He authorizes them to give the same message to the disciples. "Do not be afraid," he says to the women; "go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me" (28:10). And so he did.
The scattered sheep, the faithless disciples did meet Jesus on a mountaintop in Galilee (28:16).
Galilee becomes the name, the place metaphor, of the world in which Jesus fulfills the promise of Matthew 1:21, 23. Here he will save people from their sins. Here he will be Emmanuel/present for them. This is an incredibly good news story. We've just reviewed the story. At the end the disciples sleep, betray, desert, and deny. Sounds every bit like disciples today. And what shall happen to such disciples? The resurrected Jesus will meet them in Galilee. The resurrected Jesus will meet us in our Galilee--in the places where he has promised to meet us in Word and Sacrament. What a gospel story this is for sinners! We are saved. God is Emmanuel for us. We need not be afraid.
Homiletical Directions
The resurrection story is the climax to Matthew's Gospel. This event is the fulfillment of Jesus' entire ministry. Many Matthew stories could be told again on their way to fulfillment in the Risen One. It is clear, however, that it is the stories of Jesus' disciples that come most obviously to a climax in the story of Easter. We rehearsed above the "little faith" character of the disciples in the last days with Jesus. That is one narrative approach to this great tale. Our people know these stories of the disciples in a general way, but they are not appointed for specific consideration in the Matthew year. Tell them now. That's the first thing one can do with this sermon. Paint a full picture of the disciples as disclosed in the Passion material. They sleep. They fall away. They desert and deny. They betray. Theirs is a road to death.
Tell their stories. Make the point.
Secondly, in your own way connect the lives of today's disciples to the disciples of old. We, too, sleep, fall away, desert, deny, betray, and are destined for death. Their story is our story.
Thirdly, tell the Easter story with the focus on the word of comfort to disciples of every generation. This word is given twice (v. 7, 10). The fact that we hear this word repeated indicates that it is clearly a vital word in Matthew's telling of the story.
We alluded to Galilee as a metaphor for the places God has promised to be present for us. God has promised to be Emmanuel whenever we tell the story of Jesus. The story of Jesus is our Galilee. We tell Jesus' story and he is present for us through scripture, sermon, and sacrament. "You will meet me in Galilee," Jesus said. We take this to mean that Jesus is present whenever his story is told.
A closing proclamation might go something like this. Jesus is the speaker: "You have all fallen away. You are scattered in your sins. But fear not! I have come to save you from your sins. I have come to gather all who are scattered into my new community.
"You have deserted and denied me. Betrayal is the name of your sinful life. For this you deserve judgment. But fear not! I have come to reconcile you unto myself. Meet me on the mountain and we'll be friends again.
"As sinful humans your sin brings death upon you. But fear not! I have faced death and God has raised me to new life. I have overcome death. I have overcome your death. Put your trust in me and Easter shall be the foundational reality of your life eternal." Amen.
____________
1. Robert H. Smith, Matthew: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1989), p. 331.
2. Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew As Story (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988), pp. 90-91.
By his death and resurrection Jesus fulfills the promise of his name (1:21) and begins to bring life and freedom to God's beleaguered people. By resurrection he is manifested as Emmanuel (1:23), the presence of God shining in the midst of the new community. He is there in the midst, as Savior and as Teacher of God's people (23:10), with creative power and with his words, establishing the community in the way of righteousness. The death and resurrection of Jesus are not only the climax of Matthew's narrative. In Matthew's mind they are the turning point of world history and are revealed as such by the quaking of the earth (27:51; 28:2).1
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. The presence of these women provides continuity with the crucifixion scene where there were many women looking on from afar (27:55-56). Matthew fills the opening page (genealogy: 1:1-16) and this closing page of his story with women! Matthew appears to have a glimpse of a new kind of community in which male and female live in equality. (Cf. Galatians 3:28.) All are one in Jesus Christ.
And then an earthquake, an angel, and a rolled-back stone. Astonishing. The guards are filled with fear.
Fear and admonitions to "fear not" dominate this story: vv. 4, 5, 8, 10. We have probably lost the sense of this emotion. Over time the story has become domesticated and tamed in our experience. In the midst of the fear stands the central proclamation of the story: "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised...."
In raising Jesus from the dead, God certifies the truth of Jesus' words and the efficacy of his trust, which is to say that God vindicates Jesus: God resolves Jesus' conflict with Israel by showing that Jesus is in the right.2
The message of the angel turns from resurrection proclamation to words of comfort to the disciples. The disciples have had a complex relationship with Jesus. Sometimes they seem to believe and understand. Other times they are clearly "little faith" disciples. During the last days of Jesus' journey the disciples' faithlessness is on full display. Jesus senses their faith condition. He tells them the time is coming very soon when they will all fall away from him (Matthew 26:31-32). Jesus quotes the prophet Zechariah: "I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." Jesus does not leave the matter there. "Scattered" will not be the end of the disciples. He will gather them again in Galilee: "...after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee" (26:32).
Jesus then asks his disciples to accompany him to the Mount of Olives and watch with him in prayer. Promptly, they fall asleep. Three times they fall asleep (Matthew 26:36-46). It is right after this sleeping-event that Judas appears on the scene. He betrays Jesus.
One of the disciples draws a sword to protect Jesus from the mob with Judas. Jesus puts a stop to the violence. Scripture must be fulfilled! (26:47-54). This seems to be the end of the line for the disciples. They flee. They desert their Shepherd. They are like scattered sheep (26:56). That's the last word we hear about the disciples prior to the Easter story. But Peter has not deserted.
He has followed at a distance as Jesus is brought to the high priest's house. Good for Peter. But when a maid recognizes Peter as one who had been with Jesus, Peter denies the whole thing (26:57-58, 69-75). Bad for Peter. Three times he denies. Three times before the cock crows, just as Jesus had said.
Truly the sheep have been scattered. They fall asleep, betray, desert, and deny. We don't hear any more about the disciples until the Easter account. How comforting, indeed, are the angel's words: "Tell the disciples that he will meet them in Galilee as he promised" (26:32). And the angel is not the only one who makes this speech. Jesus appears to the women. He authorizes them to give the same message to the disciples. "Do not be afraid," he says to the women; "go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me" (28:10). And so he did.
The scattered sheep, the faithless disciples did meet Jesus on a mountaintop in Galilee (28:16).
Galilee becomes the name, the place metaphor, of the world in which Jesus fulfills the promise of Matthew 1:21, 23. Here he will save people from their sins. Here he will be Emmanuel/present for them. This is an incredibly good news story. We've just reviewed the story. At the end the disciples sleep, betray, desert, and deny. Sounds every bit like disciples today. And what shall happen to such disciples? The resurrected Jesus will meet them in Galilee. The resurrected Jesus will meet us in our Galilee--in the places where he has promised to meet us in Word and Sacrament. What a gospel story this is for sinners! We are saved. God is Emmanuel for us. We need not be afraid.
Homiletical Directions
The resurrection story is the climax to Matthew's Gospel. This event is the fulfillment of Jesus' entire ministry. Many Matthew stories could be told again on their way to fulfillment in the Risen One. It is clear, however, that it is the stories of Jesus' disciples that come most obviously to a climax in the story of Easter. We rehearsed above the "little faith" character of the disciples in the last days with Jesus. That is one narrative approach to this great tale. Our people know these stories of the disciples in a general way, but they are not appointed for specific consideration in the Matthew year. Tell them now. That's the first thing one can do with this sermon. Paint a full picture of the disciples as disclosed in the Passion material. They sleep. They fall away. They desert and deny. They betray. Theirs is a road to death.
Tell their stories. Make the point.
Secondly, in your own way connect the lives of today's disciples to the disciples of old. We, too, sleep, fall away, desert, deny, betray, and are destined for death. Their story is our story.
Thirdly, tell the Easter story with the focus on the word of comfort to disciples of every generation. This word is given twice (v. 7, 10). The fact that we hear this word repeated indicates that it is clearly a vital word in Matthew's telling of the story.
We alluded to Galilee as a metaphor for the places God has promised to be present for us. God has promised to be Emmanuel whenever we tell the story of Jesus. The story of Jesus is our Galilee. We tell Jesus' story and he is present for us through scripture, sermon, and sacrament. "You will meet me in Galilee," Jesus said. We take this to mean that Jesus is present whenever his story is told.
A closing proclamation might go something like this. Jesus is the speaker: "You have all fallen away. You are scattered in your sins. But fear not! I have come to save you from your sins. I have come to gather all who are scattered into my new community.
"You have deserted and denied me. Betrayal is the name of your sinful life. For this you deserve judgment. But fear not! I have come to reconcile you unto myself. Meet me on the mountain and we'll be friends again.
"As sinful humans your sin brings death upon you. But fear not! I have faced death and God has raised me to new life. I have overcome death. I have overcome your death. Put your trust in me and Easter shall be the foundational reality of your life eternal." Amen.
____________
1. Robert H. Smith, Matthew: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1989), p. 331.
2. Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew As Story (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988), pp. 90-91.
